“We acknowledge we’ll always have problems… we work hard to uncover them even if it makes us uncomfortable…”
"You don't have to ask permission to take responsibility." — Ed Catmull
“When downsides coexist with upsides, as often do, people are reluctant to explore what’s bugging them…”
“Telling the truth is difficult, but inside a creative company, it is the only way to ensure excellence.” — Ed Catmull
“Candor isn’t cruel. Any successful feedback system is built on empathy, on the idea we are all in this together.” — Ed Catmull
“It’s nature to attach significance to patterns we see, so we ignore what we can’t see, making deductions and predictions accordingly.” — Ed Catmull
“Enable employees at every level to own the problems and have the confidence to fix them… without asking permission.”
“Accept that we can’t understand every facet of a complex environment and focus instead on techniques that combine different viewpoints.” — Ed Catmull
“Start with the attitude different viewpoints are additive not competitive, we become more effective… ideas are honed and tempered by that.” — Ed Catmull
"The most creative people are willing to work in the shadow of uncertainty.” — Ed Catmull
...which echoes one of my all-time faves:
“You should have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.” —Pablo Picasso